"Of making many books there is no end," moaned the Preacher. Soon their will be one more tome to add to that lamentation. Yesterday John Coleman and I officially agreed to a contract with Crossway Books to publish our book, How to Argue Like Jesus. The book examines communications, persuasion, and rhetoric using Christ as the exemplary model.

First, I should say that it's a great honor for us novice authors to share the same publisher as Francis Schaeffer, R.C. Sproul, and John Piper (not to mention Tim Challies, Andrew Jackson, and Mark D. Roberts). Crossway was my first choice when I considered a publisher so it is thrilling to have them make such an offer. John and I are extremely grateful to everyone who gave us this incredible opportunity.

Second, I want to thank John for bringing this project to fruition. Back in January I mentioned to him that I had an idea for a book but that I lacked the discipline to write it on my own. John offered to help me out and I eventually suckered him in to being a co-author. (A tip for aspiring writers: If you're a procrastinator with limited writing ability, it helps to partner with someone smart, sharp, and disciplined. It certainly worked for me.) Even though he had a full-time job at McKinsey and Co., the world's most famous consulting firm, and was preparing to move to Boston to attend Harvard Business School(!), John found the time to write, edit, fix my sloppy contributions, and shape it all into a publishable work. I'm deeply grateful for his help.

Third, I want to say how much I appreciate those of you who unknowingly contributed to this book (you'll see your name in the acknowledgments).

Fourth, and most importantly, I want to thank God for being with me throughout this process. Even if no one else is edified by our work, it forced me to delve deeper into Scripture. My appreciation for Christ is magnified greatly by focusing on his genius.

We're polishing up the final draft so it shouldn’t affect my blogging as much as it has the past few months. I'll keep everyone posted on the details as I move forward on this exciting new venture.