A La Carte

Sometimes people ask me what A La Carte really is. The truth is pretty simple: it’s a round-up of things I noticed the day before (or sometimes that morning). It represents those few things that caught my eye as I went about my day. Sometimes they are profound things, sometimes they are funny things and sometimes they are just noteworthy for some other reason; occasionally they’re none of the above. All that binds them together is their ability to make me notice them. And here’s what I noticed yesterday:

Al Mohler’s Podcasts - As you know, Dr. Mohler recently discontinued his radio program. However, he will soon be back with not one, but two podcasts. The Briefing will “present a daily report of the important theological, cultural and ethical issues facing Christians in the 21st century.” Thinking in Public will be “an interview forum for intelligent conversation about frontline theological and cultural issues.” If you are an iTunes user, here are the iTunes links for Thinking in Public and The Briefing. It all begins next week.

How Amy Saved the Day - This post reminds me why I love to read Amy Scott’s blog. It’s just another bizarre snippet from her always-bizarre life.

Friending Old Flames - I think this is the kind of question Christians should be asking as they migrate to the digital world: Is it wise to “friend” old flames on Facebook?

Busyness Replaces Spirituality - Dave Kraft, author of Leaders Who Last: “Through the years I have come to some general conclusions about people, ministry, and leaders. One of them is that most people, in general, and leaders, in particular, try to do too much and work too many hours.”

Lord Jesus, Comfort Me - A new video for a new-old hymn from Matthew Smith:

Oh, but this word eternity, eternity, eternity; this word everlasting, everlasting, everlasting; this word forever, forever, forever, will even break the hearts of the damned in ten thousand pieces…Impenitent sinners in Hell shall have end without end, death without death, night without day, mourning without mirth, sorrow without solace, and bondage without liberty. The damned shall live as long in Hell as God himself shall live in heaven. —Sinclair Ferguson

It was interesting to watch the big Apple event yesterday (where they unveiled new iPods, a new AppleTV and a new iTunes). It seemed to me that if you didn’t know the context of the event, it would be very difficult to distinguish it from religion. Steve Jobs has done an amazing job of building a brand that inspires religious fervor. It’s a little bit creepy, to be honest. And this coming from a guy who is typing these words on an iMac…

East Toronto Church Plant - My church is in the midst of planting a new one. In this post Julian describes what he is up to and looks to enlist your help (if you are in the Toronto area).

The Key to Growth - Dane Ortlund asked a bunch of people “What’s the key to healthy Christian growth in godliness?” The answers vary a little bit, but all are interesting in their own way.

The Weight of Smut - “The term sexual obesity comes from Mary Ann Layden, a psychiatrist who runs the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania. She sees the victims of Internet-pornography consumption in her practice, day in and day out. She also knows what most do not: Quietly, patiently, and irrefutably, an empirical record of the harms of sexual obesity is being assembled piecemeal via the combined efforts of psychologists, sociologists, addiction specialists, psychiatrists, and other authorities.”

Too Much Saving! - All the saving Americans are doing today is hurting the economy. “‘Consumers are deleveraging (reducing debt) … and rebuilding saving faster than expected,’ writes economist Richard Berner of Morgan Stanley. In 2007, the personal savings rate (the share of after-tax income devoted to saving) was 2 percent. Now it’s about 6 percent. Temporarily, this hurts buying.” In any other context this would be a good thing, I suppose.

Design/Evolve - This was just too good not to share. Be sure to watch until the end.

Just as there are no ultimate tragedies for the believer, so for the impenitent unbeliever there are no ultimate blessings. Every good gift God bestows upon the wicked, for which the wicked do not glorify God or acknowledge His goodness with gratitude and worship, becomes a tragedy. The more gifts God gives that are despised by the recipient, the more guilt is incurred, so that, to the wicked, on Judgment Day the gifts of God’s kindness become tragedies. —R.C. Sproul

Happy September, blog readers. If anyone can explain to me how it got to be September so quickly, I’d love to hear an explanation. We’re six days away from my kids heading back to school (including my youngest who begins this year!). And it seems like it was just yesterday that the last school year wrapped up. Tempus fugit and all of that.

Switchfoot iTunes Sessions - Here’s one for the Switchfoot fans.

Her Part in Haiti - It was neat to see this article in our local newspaper. LeeAnn is a neighbor of ours and someone we used to go to church with. For the past year she has been serving in Haiti.

Not the Root of All Evil - Andrew Peterson has some good things to say about money in this article, showing that while money is the root of all kinds of evil, it isn’t intrinsically evil.

Beware of Professional Weaker Brothers - Michael Patton nails it in this post. “I remember Chuck Swindoll talking about this saying: ‘Be careful, there are some people out there who are professional weaker brethren.’”

Marriage and the Seinfeld Effect - “Americans appear to accept same-sex marriage more than they really do, perhaps because they believe it to be more widely accepted than it really is.”

Church Planter - I’m not a big fan of trailers for books but here is one that was done right. It is for this book, which I actually just began reading yesterday.

The important thing about a man is not where he goes when he is compelled to go, but where he goes when he is free to go where he will. —A.W. Tozer

How Netflix Pays Its Employees - This is an interesting article. It details the ways in which Netflix pays its employees and assigns their vacation. It’s fun to see clever innovation in this way.

Caring for Widows - Brian Croft (whose blog really is becoming a must-read for pastors) has some good words about training young women to care for the widows in a congregation.

HCSB Online - HCSB has a new online version of their Study Bible that offers all kinds of interesting interactivity. People who want to dig deep into the text will particularly enjoy it, I think.

What’s Next for Francis Chan? - I really enjoyed this video where Mark Driscoll and Josh Harris talk to Francis Chan and even push back a little bit as he describes his plans. Be sure to watch for the great missed fist-bump at 5:55.

What’s Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

How marvelous it is that we do not hate sin more than we do! Sin is the cause of all the pain and disease in the world. God did not create man to be an ailing and suffering creature. It was sin, and nothing but sin, which brought in all the ills that flesh is heir to. It was sin to which we owe every racking pain, and every loathsome infirmity, and every humbling weakness to which our poor bodies are liable. Let us keep this ever in mind. Let us hate sin with a godly hatred. —J.C. Ryle

God, the Gospel and Glenn Beck - Russell Moore looks at this weekend’s happenings is Washington and is not thrilled. “A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.”

The Bride Wore Cowboy Boots - Mark Altrogge: “I knew it was going to be different when the bridesmaids and bride came in wearing cowboy boots.  But I knew the wedding would be wonderful long before Saturday, because the couple is an amazing couple.”

Insolence Upbraided - Read this little snippet from the life of G. Campbell Morgan: “An incident occurred in connection with meetings held in a town in England, which shows a side of Campbell Morgan few people ever knew, and those who did, it is likely, never forgot. Soon after concluding a series of meetings at which the offering had been particularly generous (which was not always the case!) Dr. Morgan received the following letter…”

Life Together - or Maybe Not - Carl Trueman has some really good things to say in this post. “I am immensely grateful that I have only ever held membership in churches of a size where the pastor has always been accessible and available.  Indeed, my pastors have always even known my name, my wife’s name, my kids’ names, and even what sports they play (this latter may seem trivial but it has been peculiarly important to me: my kids may not always enjoy going to church; but they have never doubted that the pastor actually cares for them; and that is something for which I am more grateful than I can articulate).”

Nancy Pearcey in Washington - This may interest you if you’re in or near DC. “Nancy will be speaking at a ‘Faith and Law’ event in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on September 1, the date of the release of her new book Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, & Meaning.

Remembering Katrina - The Big Picture looks five years into the past to remember Hurricane Katrina and all the devastation it caused.

“Endurance and perseverance are qualities we would all like to possess, but we are loath to go through the process that produces them.” —Jerry Bridges

Biblia - From the folks at Logos: “Introducing the Biblia.com beta release: a super-simple Bible for the web that’s backed up by the incredible technology (and massive library!) of Logos Bible Software. What makes Biblia.com so cool?” You’ll have to read the post to find out…

A Good Monkey - I found this review of a new documentary a great commentary on society (not to mention a great reminder of why we cut cable a few years back): “Anew Michael Jackson documentary airing this weekend is not about his music, or his family. It’s not about his strange private life, or the criminal and civil allegations that dogged him for his last 15 years. It’s about a monkey.”

How Did EPM Begin, Part 2 - Randy Alcorn continues telling the tale of how Eternal Perspectives Ministry began.

Christian Hosoi - Denny Burk shares a video testimony from one of his childhood heroes who later came to know the Lord.

God’s Technology - My friend (and podcast co-host) David Murray recently created a video presentation called God’s Technology. It has been available for download for a couple of weeks but is now also available on DVD. And whlle I’m talking about David, he’s also got a new book out called Christians Get Depressed Too. I suppose the subject is self-explanatory once you read the title.

Living Without Physical Intimacy - Carolyn McCulley shares an article that’s worth reading. “I believe that one day, I will look at my life and say with confidence that the single greatest blessing I have experienced of singleness has been pain of learning to live without physical intimacy.”

Digital Diversions - Here’s an article about the ways in which gadgets and other new technologies distract teens and give them yet another reason to get way too little sleep. “The abundance of digital diversions has only amped up the usual tug-of-war between generations about when the lights go out, and worried parents can lose sleep just trying to keep up.”

Here Is Your God - “Here Is Your God,” is the latest worship album from Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada. It features songs drawn out of the book of Isaiah.

Not Just a Guy’s Struggle - At the True Woman blog is a discussion about the growing problem of girls and pornography.

Bible Summary - An interesting Twitter project: “I’m summarising the Bible - one tweet per chapter, one chapter per day. Visit www.biblesummary.info for the archive, the blog, to comment and to get in touch.”

The Crisis of Capitalism - This is one more reason I need to learn more about economics. Can someone in the know give a few comments on this presentation?

Songs in a Minor Key - Zach Nielsen, whose blog I link to quite frequently, has just released an album under the name Zach Nielsen Trio. Jazz fans will want to give it a listen.

The Future of CCM - Patheos features an interesting article about the past, present and future of Christian music.

Evangelicals and Atheists Together - Phil Johnson: “Last month several regular contributors over at the BioLogos blog wrote a series of posts exploring the question How Should BioLogos Respond to Dr. Albert Mohler’s Critique? … Evidently, the gentlemen at BioLogos have finally settled on their best strategy for replying to Dr. Mohler: Publish something at the Huffington Post accusing Dr. Mohler of dishonesty.”

Tell Us Your Stories - Collin Hansen asks older Christians to serve the younger ones by telling their stories. “Your stories give us the perspective we haven’t yet gained with experience. We don’t yet understand how much we don’t know. Our youthful bluster masks insecurity. We stand tall against withering attacks from our peers, but we’ve hardly been tested..”

Connecting Church and Home - Connecting Church and Home is a recent conference held at Southern Seminary. You can now access the video for each of the sessions.

How did EPM Begin? - At the 20th anniversary of Eternal Perspective Ministries, Randy Alcorn remembers how the ministry began. “Some of you who read my blog might not know much about EPM, so thought I’d share in two blog posts about the abortion clinic lawsuits that led to my resignation as a pastor and to the beginning of EPM.”

How Can God Allow Suffering? - D.A. Carson answers.

A Letter - “While exploring King’s College, we found this old letter under a trap door in a closet on the fourth floor of the main building…” Read the letter and you’ll wish you knew how this story ended. (HT:Phil Johnson)

In the Footsteps of Luther - Here’s an interesting idea: commemorating Luther’s walk from Germany to Rome by following in his footsteps.

Knockoff Tennis Shoes - This is an interesting article about the knockoff tennis shoe industry. Kind of niche, I know, but still interesting.

One Thing Needful? - Another good article by Carl Trueman in which he asks what is most fundamental to evangelicals today.

How Can God Be Loving and Send People to Hell? - D.A. Carson explains.