Josh Harris slapped me across the face. He did it through his book Humble Orthodoxy and a little story that is adapted from the words of Jesus in Luke 18. He tells the story “to challenge those of us who trust in the rightness of our doctrine and look down on others.” In other words,…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I’ve received: Faithmapping by Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper. “Most…
David Platt’s Radical was one of those rare books that catapults a first-time author straight to top of the charts. For two years it was a fixture on the lists of bestsellers and even today it remains a top seller in the Christian ranks. Radical was a call for Christians to escape the doldrums of…
Sell All That You Have – R.C. Sproul Jr. answers this question: “Jesus told the rich young fool that he must sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow him. Is this true for all who would follow Jesus?” Is the Sabbath Still Relevant? – Meanwhile, Ray Ortlund asks whether the…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed and, as always, they’ve got some great prize packages for you. There will be five winners this week, and each of them will receive the following three books: The Gospel Story Bible is a great new product for kids. Here’s what the publisher says about…
It is among the most emotional—certainly one of the most stirring—scenes in The Lord of the Rings. The enemy forces have pressed hard against Helm’s Deep, they have approached in overwhelming numbers, they have raised the siege works and battered the gates and have slowly driven back the armies of the Rohirrim. Hope has grown…
How many times have you come across this quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi? “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I must have read it a hundred times in books, magazines, articles, tweets. It is used by believers and unbelievers to point to the hypocrisy…
A few nights ago a friend shared a powerful little piece of writing that deals with the incarnation of Jesus. A bit of research shows that it comes from the end of a song by the rapper Json; this song closes with an extended quote from John Piper. For now, here it is. It seemed…
There are many different reasons to use Twitter; there are many different good reasons to use Twitter. Some use it for pure entertainment value; some use it to share news and information; some use it to relate to other people. These are all equally valid. There are a precious few people who use Twitter to…
eBook Sales – Evidence of a massive shift in publishing: “The publishing tide is shifting fast: E-book sales in February topped all other formats, including paperbacks and hardcovers, according to an industry report released this week.” Speaking of which, the Kindle now has a version that just barely tops $100. Future Leaders – Brian Croft…
Here’s a prayer from Scotty Smith, one that really helped me this morning. In it Scotty looks at Psalm 42, where a deer pants for water, and asks God to help us long for him the way David did. As he says, “Thirst will not be denied. We’ll do almost anything to satisfy our thirst.”…
I apologize for skipping out on A La Carte yesterday. I came down with an ugly variation of the 24-hour flu and pretty much spent all day in bed. I probably could have wrestled together a post, but I was having an odd problem with my eyes–I was seeing double for a few hours. That…
A couple of years ago I was asked to submit an article to Compassion International’s magazine. The article was to answer a single question: What is the greatest hindrance to the gospel today? I stumbled across that article today and thought I would share it with you. You know the oft-told story, I am sure.…
Because of all I’ve written about pornography over the past few years, I was interested to see a recent prayer that Scotty Smith posted at his blog. He titled it “A Prayer for Friends Struggling with Pornography.” Here it is: Jesus, my heart goes out today for friends and their spouses whose lives are being…
Once again I am going to post a prayer today and once more it is drawn from Scotty Smith’s blog. But this prayer was just what I needed to pray today. “It’s always been easier for me to do ‘productive’ things for you, rather than spend undistracted, unrushed time with you. I confess this as…
I always feel like a bit of a poser when I say this, but I absolutely love Handel’s Messiah. Though I appreciate small amounts of classical music (to use the term in a broad sense) I am largely a rock ‘n’ roll type. Yet there is something about Messiah that grips me. I find myself…
As you read this, I’m on my way to Grand Rapids. These short trips can be tough ones. Because I want to be gone for only the day, I need an early flight–7 AM. That means I need to be at the airport at 5 AM (which you’d understand if you’ve ever flown out of…
Living in a Fallen World is a new series of booklets published by Day One Publications. I have been looking forward to seeing this series and was glad to have the first 8 show up in the mail today. The publisher says they are “small booklets that provide biblical help and practical guidance to people…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is Moody Publishers. That is a name well-known around these parts as they regularly sponsor these giveaways. This week they are offering a prize package that contains four new books. Five winners will each be sent these four titles: Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church — Soong-Chan…
This morning I came across a prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith, one he wrote just recently that focuses on his life in light of the words of Psalm 27. “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of…