Independent publisher's debut provokes the church with story.

'Our assignment was simple. Draw a picture of the church.' -- Jonathan Almanzar

Contact: Jonathan Almanzar, 956-566-1730, jonathan@openapologies.com

PUEBLO, Colo., March 29, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a culture teeming with Christian celebrities, Jonathan Almanzar and Aaron Havens pair up to deliver a gracious, but much needed, wake-up call to evangelicalism. In Crabgrass and Oak Trees (Rhizome Publishing, ISBN # 978-0-9841262-0-0, August 2010), Havens and Almanzar ask the question: "Is the church more like a mighty oak tree or lowly crabgrass?"

As the authors examine the Scriptures and themselves, they come to realize (as does the reader) that the way of Jesus is a way of radical humility and subversive grace -- the way of crab grass.

"We were tired of always looking at what was wrong with the church and we wanted to find the stories that celebrated where the Church existed," says Almanzar in a recent interview.

Crabgrass and Oak Trees is full of incredible stories of everyday people -- people you may never see speaking at a conference or pastor of a megachurch. This, according to Almanzar and Havens, is what it means to be a part of the "Crabgrass movement."

"The theories or lessons aren't just theories. They are really happening. The picture of the Church that Crabgrass and Oak Trees paints is tangible."

About The Authors
Jonathan Almanzar is a church planter and author in Pueblo, CO, currently involved in The Pearl. He spent the four years in Northern Mexico as director of Latin American Ministries for Adventures in Missions.

Aaron Havens is currently the Pastor of Spiritual Development for Gunnison Community Church in Gunnison, CO, and director of White Consulting.

Excerpts
"With generations of people claiming to be the Church, we ask the question -- Is the Church more like Crabgrass, or an Oak Tree?"

"But there was something that didn't budge. Something tin, almost powerless. Something that had been trampled over, devoured, cut down, fed to animals, and looked on with general disdain. Crabgrass."

JONATHAN ALMANZAR IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS.

Contact: Jonathan Almanzar at 956.566.1730 or email jonathan@openapologies.com

Rhizome Publishing is a full-service publisher, specializing in e-books and digital publishing. We seek to re-imagine culture through creative stories and ideas. For more information, visit our website at rhizomepublishing.com.