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Weekend A La Carte (June 4)

It is a joy to be in Seattle for the Ligonier Ministries West Coast Conference. I played my part yesterday by teaming up with Nathan Bingham on a pre-conference dedicated to being digital disciples. Today I head home just in time to watch my daughter perform at her ballet recital. While I travel, you read. Here are some suggestions:

Retirement Reexamined

“This kind of carefree, work-free post-retirement life is a widely shared dream today, but it does not align with a Christian understanding of work and vocation. Retirement and old age do not signal the end of one’s vocation…”

How Do I Trust My Spouse After Adultery?

“It is right, healthy, and normal to feel the weight of this sorrow and to take your time to process all that has happened to you. It is possible, however, over time, and with help, to overcome the broken trust and renew a healthy relationship. The key to rebuilding trust is to give it in stages.”

Play Hard

I hadn’t thought of it this way before: “The spirit of play is part of the creativity of rest.”

13 Reasons We Need Church History

Matt Hall offers 13 reasons we can’t afford to forget about church history.

A New Journal

Reformed Theological Seminary has just announced a new online theological journal titled Reformed Faith and Practice (RF&P). It’s free for the taking!

Contraband Corned Beef

That time an astronaut brought his own lunch into space.

This Day in 1820. 196 years ago today, Elvina Hall died. She wrote the hymn, “Jesus Paid it All.” *

A Fatal Theological Oxymoron

Peter Jones explains why “gay Christian” is a fatal oxymoron.

Faithfulness and Fruitlessness in Ministry

I think pastors will be both challenged and encouraged by Jeremy Walker’s article on faithfulness and fruitfulness in ministry. I especially appreciate his second call: Make sure you are preaching Christ, not just about Christ.

Flashback: When It’s Time for the Talk

I am often asked about resources to help when it’s time for “the talk.” Here are some suggestions.

Horton

The church is not only where disciples go once a week; it’s where disciples are made.

—Michael Horton

  • 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.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    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…