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A La Carte (May 31)

tuesday

Hearing the Voice of the Lord in Your Pastor’s Sermon

“Reformed churches believe God still speaks. While we do not believe he speaks via the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we believe that via preaching God’s voice is as real and vital to us as it was through the mouths and pens of prophets and apostles. How can we say this?”

My Son Taught Me About Privilege

Amy tells about a growing understanding of the blessing (and sadness) of privilege. “It hit me that one of the (many) privileges of being wealthy is the ability to see my children find their potential. And have a shot at reaching it.”

Hughes Oliphant Old: A Personal Remembrance

It’s always a joy to read a remembrance of a godly man or woman.

Rise of Ad-Blocking Software Threatens Online Revenue

I’m linking to this article from the New York Times because it is on a subject I wrote about last week.

Why I Sit at the Front

Yes, even something as simple as where you sit at church has significance (and can be a means of loving others).

This Day in 1638. 378 years ago today, founder of Connecticut, Thomas Hooker, preached the opening sermon at First Church of Hartford. *

Fiftieth Birthday Reflections

I enjoyed David Murray’s reflections on his fiftieth birthday. (And happy birthday, David!)

The Keyhole Seven

This longform article explains a sad situation. “When a group of canyoneering beginners were swept away in a flash flood last September, it was the worst disaster in Zion’s 97-year history. And it illustrates a growing question: How far should national parks go to keep their visitors safe?”

Flashback: Well-Planned, Hard, Sweat-Inducing Prayer and Work

Do you find prayer difficult? Then take that as a challenge, not as a reason to give up! “Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.”

Carson

It is better to pray often with brevity than rarely but at length.

—D.A. Carson

  • 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…