Growing up, my favorite TV show was “Mission Impossible”. Before the movie series, in the late 60’s and early 70’s it was a weekly series. Jim Phelps and the IMF – the Impossible Mission Force – captured a Columbian drug lord, recovered stolen Russian nuclear weapons, or rescued a captured Israeli general. In sixty minutes (minus the commercials) they saved the world. I wanted to be part of that mission!

Old Fashioned is a new kind of faith-based movie, one that explores dating in a way that many would consider old fashioned today—courtship with the focus on getting acquainted and developing a relationship, as opposed to focusing on the physical attractions and intimacy. There is a chivalrous aspect of the film that is rare these days and is refreshing. The main male character in the movie, Clay, has tried it the other way and wants to truly get to know the young woman he is attracted to. Her name is Amber.

Pastor and author Dr. John Dickson will visit Grand Rapids this week while on a U.S. tour to promote his new book “A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics,” published by Zondervan and available in stores this month.

Dickson grew up as a religious skeptic, first meeting Christianity in high school in an elective course. His curiosity turned to faith and eventually led him to Macquarie University in Sydney, where he earned at Ph.D. in history and is currently a senior research fellow in the Department of Ancient History. He is also co-director of the Centre for Public Christianity and senior minister at an Anglican church in Sydney.

He is author of more than a dozen books and a busy speaker around the world. Dr. Dickson, who will headline several events around Grand Rapids (see below), answers questions about his books, speaking, current events, and the historical Jesus.

Tim Collier experiences a “beautiful mixture of folks” at the Stockbridge Boiler Room.When is a meal more than an opportunity to scarf down some grub? Tim Collier has some answers.

Every Wednesday, an average of 60 to 100 people gather at the Stockbridge Boiler Room for a weekly “Love Feast” inside a spacious house at 713 5^th St. NW that’s on the West Side of Grand Rapids. The dwelling once served as a brothel and crack house.

Stockbridge Boiler Room’s geographical sphere of influence primarily borders
Pine Avenue NW to the west, Turner Ave. NW to the east, 2^nd Street NW to the south and 10^th Street NW to the north.

West Michigan Christian web writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area’s faith-based arts, entertainment and conference events over the coming month. Here are three highlights for February:

*Calvin College Gospel Choir – The dynamic ensemble performs at 3 p.m. Sun. Feb. 15 in First United Methodist Church, 227 E. Fulton St. Grand Rapids. Since 1996 the choir has been directed by Calvin professor Dr. Charsie Sawyer and currently assisted by Nate Glasper Jr. Their repertoire includes spirituals, African music, anthems, contemporary, jazz and African-American gospel music and the group has been called the most diverse musical ensemble on the campus. Choir membership is open to Calvin students, faculty, staff and alumni. The performance is part of First United Methodist’s Celebration of the Arts. There is no admission charge. Visit www.grandrapidsfumc.org.

Paul Marshall said persecution of Christians is an evil that must be thwarted.Aasiya Noreen’s life hangs in the balance. In November 2010, the Pakistani Christian woman, better known as Asia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy and received a sentence of death by hanging.

Her offense was allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. If executed, Noreen would be the first woman in Pakistan to be lawfully killed for blasphemy. Noreen has denied the charges but there’s a problem: The country's sharia system considers a non-Muslim's testimony to carry half the weight of a Muslim's, which made it difficult to defend herself in court.

Larry Louters holds up a model of a molecule. Wearing safety goggles and a white lab coat and flanked by an assortment of chemicals and glass beakers, Larry Louters looks every bit the part of a chemistry professor.

But soon into his talk on Jan. 23 at Calvin College’s January Series, it’s evident why Louters, a faculty member of Calvin College since 1984, is more than “the crazy science guy who blows things up and makes test tubes glow in the dark.”

Lee Strobel is the author of bestsellers The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and the upcoming book The Case for Grace: A Journalist Explores the Evidence of Transformed Lives (Zondervan, Feb.). He answers questions about the book and his life.

Q) Why did you decide to write The Case for Grace now?

A) I think this book is a natural progression from the other books. They set forth the evidence for Christianity and God, but this book adds the experiential component. If Christianity is true, you would expect that God would transform lives.

The Calvin College Gospel Choir will appear in concert on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.Depicting the sacred and spiritual on a canvas or with a sculpture proves never to be stale to the eyes for spectators who experience First United Methodist Church’s 13-day juried spiritual arts festival, Celebration of the Arts.

“Every year is different, and based on what is entered, the artists never disappoint,” said Eric Strand, First United Methodist’s director of music and the arts. “What the public sees is beautiful and provoking. It’s the kind of art that can illuminate and inspire and make us aware.”

It's inevitable that a married couple is going to fight at some point in their relationship. When I use the word fight, I'm talking about verbal arguments, not physical encounters. When I hear couples say they never argue, that's a red flag right there for me. I think realistically every couple gets a little irritated with each other on occasion. It's normal! The most important thing to remember when you do have disagreements is to fight fair.
One of the rules in fighting fair is to agree to resolve your issue instead of seeking victory. When your end goal in a disagreement is to declare triumph that means you want someone to lose. That's okay if you're watching your favorite football or baseball team, but it's not productive when your opponent is your husband or wife. In fact, you're not fighting an opponent but a member of your own team. Therefore your approach should be different.

Actor Ted McGinley was formerly a regular cast member some years ago on Happy Days, and he now has made several Christian films. One of the films which he was reluctant to make was Redeemed, and it's a film in which he portrayed a man tempted to have an affair. Ted feared that the subject matter would not play well with viewers, especially the ladies. "It's a great movie," he thought, but "who's going to watch it?" Yet he loved the story and working with David A.R. White. White is a producer and actor that has made several Christian films. Ted's first Pure Flix movie, the same Christian film company that made God's Not Dead, was Christmas with a Capital C which he enthusiastically says he loved making. He recently worked in Manistee on Do You Believe? He was happy to talk about the experience of making the film, which currently is due to be released this coming March.

Ted embraced the script once he had read it. He was impressed with the cast too. "I said, 'Okay, you know, Brian Bosworth is in the movie, playing opposite Mira Sorvino, who's got an Oscar.' He added that he had grown up watching Lee Majors, also in the cast, as is Cybil Shepherd who, according to Ted, is a larger than life person that "carries a big stick" and had them all laughing. And Sean Astin is a part of it too, and he has "great energy" said Ted, and is a "veteran" of acting experience and "just a great guy."