Thoughts on Harry Potter and America's best-seller

More than a half-million new books are published every year, amounting to 1,369 new titles hitting the shelves...daily.  There are more books than ever before contending for the title of "Bestseller."  So how is the Bible faring in the sea of competition?  Let's put the Bible head to head against the most impressive book series of our time: Harry Potter.

The Rise of Potter began in 1997, when J.K. Rowling released the first book in a 7 book series in the U.K. called, "The Philosopher's Stone."  In 1998, it was released in the U.S. under the title, "The Sorcerer's Stone."
(Timeline)  The first print run was just 50,000 copies.  Rowling used the initials J.K. because she was afraid boys wouldn't read the book if they knew a girl wrote it.  "Potter fever" truly began in 1999, when the second book, "The Chamber of Secrets," shot to the top of the best-seller list.  Since then, Potter has been smashing records like they were ordinary broomsticks.

All 7 of Rowling's books are best-sellers.  In fact, they are 7 of the top 10 best-selling books of the past 15 years (1).  When the final book was released in 2007, it sold 8.3 million copies in the U.S. in one day, or 96 books every second (2).  By June of 2008, the entire Potter series had sold over 400 million copies worldwide (3).  At the release of the final book in 2007, the total print count for all books in the series was 133.5 million in the U.S. (4). Divide by 9 years since the first book debuted in the States, and you get 14.8 million copies sold in the U.S. each year.  Impressed?

What if I told you the Bible was selling 14.6 million copies per year...in 1907! (5)  In fact, the Bible currently sells 20-25 million copies each year in the U.S. (6).  The Bible is America's best-selling book of the year, every year.  And not just in the U.S.  The Bible holds the title for "Bestseller on Earth."  The Guinness Book of World Records estimates at least 2.5 billion Bibles were sold between 1815 and 1975 (7), and more recent tallies reach 5 billion in sales.  It is estimated today that 100 million copies of the Bible are sold or given away around the globe each year (8).

So, outnumbered seven books against one, the Bible outsells the entire Potter series every year.  Considering "The Sorcerer's Stone" now slouches at #485 on Amazon.com's list of the most popular books, the Bible simply sits on its throne and waits for the next challenger to be utterly dominated by the undisputed best-seller of the ages.

Have you read the Bible?  Several Bible reading plans are posted HERE.      

Christmas Rocket

My daughter Cassie (7) got a rocket for Christmas.  Welcome to our living room...aka...space. 

Brandon's First Week

Our new Family Pastor, Brandon Capuano started his first week on the job.  Check out this amateur video documentary of this new chapter in his life. 

Brandon and Fam Crossing the Country

We recently hired a new full-time staff member, Brandon Capuano.  Brandon will be leading our youth and children's ministry at Harvest.  He is crossing the country to get here.  2,000 miles lie between San Diego and Chicago.  Add three kids into the mix and you have an exciting road trip!  They are taking their time, stopping to see the sights and to visit some friends.  Here are a few pictures from their journey.  Keep them in prayer!  They will arrive in Chicago next Tuesday. 

 These are a cross breed of cattle and bison.  They call them "beefalo."  Sound tasty!

 A big hole that you have to see to believe.

Perhaps the world's largest dandelion. 

 Hmmm...how can we get down there...

Okay, back in the van! 

Six Flags

The fam took a trip to Six Flags Great America last week.  I may have slightly breached park protocol in the making of this movie.  No smartphones were injured in the process.

Vaca Silver Birch Ranch

The Hall family embarked on quite an adventure this year. We opted to take a vacation to Silver Birch Ranch in Wisconsin. I know pure Michigan has better radio ads, but we passed. We ventured deep into Packer territory---past Green Bay! But it is hard to deny the beauty of the Wisconsin wilderness.







After traveling for 5.5 hours past countless dairy farms, through forests and even an Indian Reservation, we arrived safely at the Ranch. SBR is a Christian camp with a tremendous legacy. The grounds feature a stable with all form of livestock, including horses, goats and pigs...that weigh 800 lbs!

Cassie (7) is an animal lover, so she just lit up when she took a pony ride. Jared chased the roosters around the petting zoo. Cassie also ran after a baby goat that escaped the zoo and carried it back to safety (very biblical).





SBR also has an impressive lakefront. One morning we woke up early and canoed out to an island for a special breakfast cooked by some summer staff. We also saw a family of loons and an eagle's nest. We heard a rumor that a bear swam across the lake 2 years ago. (Probably Cutler after a loss). We also took a pontoon boat tour and they made the mistake of letting Jared drive.





The theme for the year was "The Gauntlet." They actually had a gauntlet set up and I actually ran through it. I even cut my hand and bled. Very medieval. They also set-up a jousting contest...which I didn't win. The highlight of the theme night was when they used a catapult to launch candy into the air for the kids.







Cassie and Ellie were both brave enough to try the dueling zip-lines. Jared talked a good game until he froze in fear on top of the platform. Maybe next year.






Here is an old-time recap of our great trip to Silver Birch Ranch.

It's a dog!

Welcome Spencer Panda Hall! (Cassie gave him his middle name)

Spencer is a mix between a Weimaraner and a Boston Terrier. Very unique breed born out of a special love story between two diverse breeds...kind of like Romeo and Juliet, I guess.

Spencer is 3 months old, loves to run, chew things, play and wrestle. He is not a barker (thankfully). He can already fetch and sit (as long as he gets a treat). The kids love him already.

Do you have any puppy tips for us?