A La Carte (2/18)

What’s the Point of Marriage? [2] - “There's nothing like a bunch of marriage books to make your head spin. Mostly I avoid them--too many guilt-producing suggestions about the 'must-dos' of a relationship--but I've been writing a seminar on the topic, so it was time to hit the books.” This article is good both for its reflections and its mini reviews.

The Church Planting Wife [3] - The Church Planting Wife by Christine Hoover is a brand-new book that has been marked down to $3.99. 

Bridges & Begg [4] - Take a short, powerful book by Jerry Bridges, have Alistair Begg narrate it, and offer the resulting 2-CD audiobook set for a bargain price. That's a good plan. Who Am I? - Identity in Christ unpacks Scripture to bring believers eight clear, simple answers to perhaps the most important question anyone can ask. (This is a book published by Cruciform Press of which I am a co-founder.)

Praying in a Second Language [5] - “To speak and pray in a ‘second’ language, you don’t need Rosetta Stone. Everyone has an opportunity to think, speak and pray in God’s language — Scripture, the foundational language of the universe.”

The Best Books for Preachers [6] - Al Mohler has put together his annual “Preaching Survey of the Year's Best Books for Preachers.”

A Fractured Vatican [7] - Washington Post: “[The] Pope's leaked papers show a fractured Vatican:Pope Benedict XVI's correspondence shows tales of betrayal and rivalries, allegations of corruption and systemic dysfunction.”

Preaching that Cuts to the Heart [8] - Tim Keller responds to one of the compliments people pay him about his sermons. He’s got some good quotes in there, like this one: “Remember that according to the Bible, the heart is not primarily the emotions but rather the seat of our fundamental commitments and trusts, and therefore it is the control center of the whole life. So to preach to the heart means to go right for the commanding commitments of people’s lives that drive their desires, thinking, feeling, and action.”

The strength of all sin, whether simple or scandalous, is the lie that God can't do what it can. —Sam Storms (reference [9])