I can be prone to self-loathing. Sometimes this takes the form of thinking about things I’ve done or recounting words I’ve said and detesting myself for them. Sometimes it takes the form of thinking about who I am and hating who God has made me to be, or thinking about the way God has gifted me and despising those gifts in favor of others.
A La Carte: Should I stay or go? / Dust / Worshiping God at the ends of the earth / Why many reject penal substitutionary atonement / We have not arrived yet / Every human an image bearer / and more.
While it may be rare to find a church that dedicates a substantial portion of the service to prayers and Scripture reading, it would be rare to find a church that fails to dedicate a substantial portion of the service to singing. Christians love to sing, and we have always regarded it as an essential…
A La Carte: What’s the point of longevity? / The 12-hour rule / Thank the Lord for the hard stuff / People aren’t homogenous blocs / Before you say no to childcare / Kindle deals / and more.
Free Stuff Fridays: Book Giveaway! #Sponsored
Black Friday is upon us and with it the opportunity to save a bit of money as we shop for the holidays or build out our libraries. I have listed hundreds of deals below and will be adding to it throughout the course of the weekend. Note that I will update this list throughout the…
A La Carte: Telling a better story / Stopped pipes and stubborn people / Avoid announcement prayers / Girls are less interested in marriage than boys / Changing a church’s culture / Black Friday deals / and more.
A La Carte: John Piper on false teachings / Everything is television / Is it Satan or God? / The hard way is the easy way / Backward progress / Treat people like adults / and more.
Though the year is coming to its end, it’s not over yet! That means publishers still have some books to release—books we would not wish to overlook before 2025 gives way to 2026. Here are some of the ones I consider especially noteworthy. In each case, I’ve included the editorial description to give you a…
A La Carte: The other side of human rights / Biblical literacy / A ramp out of the worry rut / The depressed Christian / Quick no, slow yes / Do you see eternity? / and more.
I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for well over 22 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through…
A La Carte: Are you still gospel-centered? / Christian liberty / Triumph in trouble / Being faithful in little things / How we choose songs / I’m not sabbatarian / and more.
There is a certain kind of sober-mindedness that seems to come over Christians as they age. It can flow from many sources, I’m sure, but I think it often arises from a kind of fear—a fear that they may not finish their race without some kind of a major stumble. After living the Christian life…
A La Carte: A wonderful short film / Science confirms a literal, historical Adam and Eve / Go low, aim high / Stop brainstorming / Structured and spontaneous prayers / Kindle deals / and more.
Sometimes humor accomplishes what soberness cannot, as an old quote from D.L. Moody illustrates. “Some people’s prayers need to be cut off at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” After all, we have all had to endure prayers that were a little too long (or perhaps a lot too long) or that…
A La Carte: Keep your well full / No atheists at Nuremberg / On refusing to panic / Sports open surprising doors / Practicing Christian hospitality / Kindle deals / and more.
Free Stuff Fridays: Free Book!
I have a lot of admiration for those people who are especially skillful at evangelism. Likewise, I have a lot of admiration for those people who feel especially called to it. I sometimes marvel at how adeptly they are able to steer conversations to topics that matter and how easily they can get to Jesus…
A La Carte: Grief, memory, and hope / Negativity bias / Hannah’s Holiday / It’s the little things / When spiritual disciplines seem dull / Broody God / Kindle deals / and more.
A La Carte: The trap of fear-based parenting / Aileen and I join Jeremy and Jinger / When you are overlooked / Russell Brand shouldn’t be baptizing anyone / If your loved one is deconstructing / and more.
I think each one of us has probably had a kind of disquieting experience in which we’ve suddenly realized that a lot of Christian publishing is bunk. While we are undoubtedly blessed with far more truthful and edifying books than ever before, we are also cursed with far more untruthful and unedifying books.
Bible biography Bonhoeffer books Christian living church current issues disability marriage parenting personal prayer sin suffering theology
Genesis 1 Genesis 3 Psalm 119 Matthew 18 John 3:16 John 10:10 Romans 1 Romans 8:28 Romans 12:2 Ephesians 5 Philippians 4:8 Colossians 3:16
