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Weekend A La Carte (August 27)

I was not able to scrounge up any new Kindle deals today, though I know there will be some good ones coming next week (with the start of a new week and the start of a new month). Stay tuned to the Kindle Deals for Christians page.

J. Alec Motyer (1924-2016)

Yesterday brought the news that Alec Motyer, a prominent Old Testament scholar and commentator, had died. Justin Taylor provides an obituary.

A Reasonable Case Against Same-Sex Marriage

Michael Bird makes a very reasonable case against same-sex marriage. You may need to do a bit of translation from his Australian context, but it still holds up well on this side of the Pacific.

Can Mother Ever Relax?

“When my children were little, it seemed so much more straightforward. I prayed for wisdom to know what to say; now, I pray for wisdom to know if I should say anything. That is one of the hardest things I have learned as my kids have grown up: knowing when to speak.”

The Budapest Escape Room That Started the Worldwide Craze

Escape rooms have suddenly become all the rage. This article tells where and how they began (and why that’s not a surprise).

On David Gushee’s Dishonesty

I’ve read quite a few responses to David Gushee’s recent column at Religion News Service. I do believe this is the best.

This Day in 1960. 56 years ago today Mark Dever was born. Happy birthday, Mark!

Can We Be Saved Without the Church?

Yes, even Protestants can and should ask this question.

The Men’s Dress Shoe Hierarchy

Here’s all you need to know about dress shoes for men. File it away because you’ll want to refer to it at some point!

Why Most Chinese American Christians Are Conservative Evangelicals

“Chinese American sociologists, historians, and theologians, and even the Pew Research Center all confirm the fact that Asian American Christians are predominantly conservative evangelicals, as opposed to liberal Protestants, Roman Catholics, or Eastern Orthodox.” Why?

Flashback: Downstream in the Moral Sewage

Drawing some lessons about the moral sewage flowing downstream.

The Pastor as Renaissance Man

I’m thankful to MBTS for sponsoring the blog this week with “The Pastor as Renaissance Man.”

A life of humility is not an option for a believer to choose or reject. It is a command of God.

—Jerry Bridges

  • 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…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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…