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A La Carte (January 30)

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How To Keep Your “I Do” In The Present Tense – This is a powerful one. “Don Henley of Eagles fame once sang, ‘I had a good life, before you came.’ And so it was with me. I was single. I pastored the little white Church on the corner…” And then he met her.

A Catechism on the Heart – In this article from Tabletalk, Sinclair Ferguson provides a short catechism on the heart.

The Stealth Prosperity Gospel – Jared Wilson: “The real devil in the details of the prosperity-type teaching permeating so much of evangelicalism is not really that it skips over the stuff about sin. Sure, it does that too, but the pernicious paradox of this stuff is that it champions “’victorious Christian living’ yet does not equip believers for sustainable discipleship.”

The Priority that Isn’t – Tony Payne has a word for church leaders: “So which items are you going to prioritize? And which areas will (sadly but perhaps inevitably) have less effort put into them, and just potter along for another year?” He has a good suggestion.

Winter Storm Havoc – Here’s a photo gallery of that winter storm that swept through the American south. I’m grateful to the Christian family who kindly took in my sister and niece after they were stranded on the freeway for 12+ hours.

Your Grammys’ Church – Dr. Peter Jones reviews this year’s Grammy’s. Meanwhile, Tripp Lee has 5 Questions for Beyonce who was, I guess, the “star” of the show.

Hodge

When we are weak, then are we strong. When most empty of self, we are most full of God.

—Charles Hodge

  • The Phrase that Altered My Thinking Forever

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

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    A La Carte (March 18)

    A La Carte: God is good and does good—even in our pain / Dear bride and groom / Sin won’t comfort you / Worthy of the gospel / From self-sufficiency to trusting God’s people / The gods fight for our devotion / and more.

  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…