Truth to tell, I'm not very good at the having-faith thing. I'm more Gideon (looks around, bewildered, and asks, "Who, me?") than Caleb (grabs Geritol and jumps up, "Gimme that mountain!").

But I am learning to correct my glass-half-empty vision. For starters, there is a glass. It isn't broken. And it has stuff in it. With room for more. That's all reason for optimism.

Same thing with the Christian retail world. As we prepare for our Retailing ReBoot event this month—intended to help set stores for the possibilities ahead—I am pretty pumped.

OK, we've had the Internet. Wal-Mart and its followers. The recession. Oh, and digital books. But for any whose shoulders  might slump Gideon-like at the thought of all this, let me offer some Caleb-ish signs of life.

Good books. Yes, we all know about the fluff and chaff that's out there, but take a look at the substantive books that are big sellers. Crazy Love and Radical aren't quick-fix, easy life-is-a-beach reads. They are calls to action.

Then, what about Bonhoeffer? A brick of a thing, 600-plus pages about some relatively obscure German pastor from half a century ago. Wouldn't you love to have been in the meetings about that one at Thomas Nelson? Yet it's been an enormous success, not just hitting the best-seller and you-must-read  lists, but also sparking media attention and conversation about what it means to have radical faith.

There's still hunger for life-changing content.

New stores. We have seen more longtime retailers saying their farewells recently, but in some instances this has been more about a lack of succession than just business problems. And, we are also seeing a few veteran stores expanding, while more newcomers to the industry arrive—who know what they are getting into and yet are heeding the call. With no "remember when" days to look back on, they might be more open than some to new ideas and ways.

Supplier support. While I don't believe Christian suppliers ever abandoned Christian retailers in the gold-rush days of general market interest in Christian products, it sure felt like that to some. But as the high tide of get-it-at-Wal-Mart has subsided, I'm sensing some measure of a return to their first love, as it were, for Christian publishers.

They recognize, perhaps afresh, that the Christian retail channel remains their core, foundation and greatest champion. I see Tyndale House Publishers' co-opening a Christian bookstore in its own backyard to fill a long-standing gap, and Thomas Nelson's Hot Off the Press product alert and TNIndies social media initiatives at least reflective of, if not directly attributable to, this broader shift.

Then there is heightened activity at the distributor level, with Spring Arbor's recent self-avowed recommitment to the Christian retail channel and STL Distribution North America's entering the print-on-demand market to help stores.

Closer to home, this year we have seen the highest-ever number of entries for our annual Retailers Choice Awards, which gives Christian stores the chance to name what they believe to be the most important new releases of the last year. I believe this also points to suppliers' recognition that their relationship with the Christian retail market is unique. With other channels, they may do business; with Christian retailers, they do ministry.

World events. So, what has change in the Middle East got to do with Christian retailing? More than just selling some additional end-times guides. We're seeing global shifts unlike any since the fall of the Berlin Wall. People are being stirred beyond their own domestic concerns to look at what is happening abroad and consider some of the implications—and the beliefs and philosophies that are driving and shaping change. 

Funny that such a conversation should start in a year when the Bible already has a heightened place in the public consciousness, thanks to the 400th-anniversary celebrations of the King James Version and the release of the updated New International Version.

With all this in mind, I'm encouraged to switch Gideon's gloom for Caleb's confidence. How about you? Yes, you. Let's go claim that mountain—the one with your name on it.

We'll be sharing some practical ways to do that at our event for church and independent stores, Retailing ReBoot 2011, in Orlando, April 26-28. Come and rub shoulders with other Caleb-spirited retailers—whether church-based or independent—and go back to your store encouraged and equipped. You'll find more details at our Web site, www.christianretailing.com.

Come and raise a (figurative) glass to Christian retailing. It'll be half full.

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