Weekend A La Carte (December 20)

A La Carte: How the West became pagan / Confronting an unspeakable truth / Freebirth in the age of hospitals / Sorrows keep getting more sorrowful / You may not see the fruit of your ministry / and more.t

A La Carte: How the West became pagan / Confronting an unspeakable truth / Freebirth in the age of hospitals / Sorrows keep getting more sorrowful / You may not see the fruit of your ministry / and more.t

Free Stuff Fridays: Book Giveaway!

Of all the pastoral issues a church can face, I think one of the trickiest may be addiction. In theory, churches are eager to provide a safe and welcoming environment for current or recovering addicts. Yet in reality, churches often feel ignorant and poorly equipped to deal with the reality of addicts and addictions and…

A La Carte: A problem-filled world / When you get accused / Why is the Son called “Everlasting Father”? / An unpolluted heaven and nature / I wrestled a skunk once / and more.

A La Carte: Jane Austen’s faith / Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit / The rising tide of Islam / Life with a constant music soundtrack / Should everyone write? / and more.

Those who are serious about collecting commentaries will almost invariably say that it is better to think in terms of individual volumes than complete series. And I agree: it is generally better to focus on acquiring the top three or four commentaries on each book of the Bible than to focus on collecting complete series.…

A La Carte: Marketing as stewardship / Intercultural humor / Freedom in devotions / When people leave your church / Calvinistic gospel partnerships / Sentimentality / Kindle deals / and more.

A La Carte: The Scopes trial at 100 / How do we measure maturity? / A pogrom on Bondi Beach / Are Evangelicals obsessed with sex? / Do the next thing / Book sales / and more.

There are times when we all find ourselves lamenting our circumstances. These may be times in which we grieve life’s losses or suffer life’s indignities, or these may be times in which we grapple with the frustrations that come with life in this world—when our skills are underutilized, or our contributions are underappreciated.

A La Carte: Blood soaks into the sand of Bondi Beach / This year’s biggest religious trend / The best Christian music of 2025 / The challenges this Christmas / Micromanaging your habits / Notable Kindle deals / and more.

As we gather on Sundays, we preach the Bible, read the Bible, pray the Bible, and sing the Bible. But that is not all, for we also “see” the Bible. Here’s how Mark Dever expresses it: “The ordinances are the dramatic presentations of the gospel. They are the moving pictures that represent the spiritual realities…

A La Carte: No one drifts into godlIness / Your subscriptions are holding you captive / Fighting sexual temptation / An orderly case for raising hands in worship / Kirk Cameron and remodeling hell / Kindle deals / and more.

This week, the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by Harvest House Publishers. Meet 52 Unsung Heroes Throughout history, the stories of brave Black believers and their remarkable contributions to the Christian faith and our nation have too often gone overlooked. Passionate writer and educator Jasmine L. Holmes brings 52 notable Black Christians’ stories to life…

As another year draws to a close, I wanted to take some time to consider the books I read in 2025 and to assemble a list of my top picks. Apart from the first book, which I consider the best I read this year, the rest are in no particular order. In each case I’ve…

A La Carte: How to fight your phone idolatry / The weakness of God / Strong and fearless faith / Loving aging parents well / Changed by love / and more.

A La Carte: Gift giving in an age of abundance / Canada’s Bill C-9 / In memory of Jubilant Sykes / Motherhood is a refining fire / A gentle pastor isn’t a weak pastor / When God’s plans leave us distressed / and more.

I don’t often write trip reports after I travel, except, of course, in the form of books and documentary projects like Epic and From the Rising of the Sun. Yet, I thought I would make a rare exception after returning from my recent journey to Southern Africa (and, strangely, Northern California). While I am accustomed…

A La Carte: Top 10 theology stories of 2025 / Mama, you don’t have to save Christmas / Giving up all your Sundays to advent / An empty chair at Christmas / Pray for the church in Rwanda / Kindle deals / and more.

A La Carte: Reforming generosity / Let the young man come to church / Your wife is beauty / Combating imposter syndrome / Be known, not impressive / Dan McClellan / and more.

We often hear these days of “AI slop,” a term that’s used to refer to the massive amounts of poor-quality AI-created material that is churned out and unceremoniously dumped onto the internet. This was once primarily artistless artwork and authorless articles, but has now advanced to much bigger and more substantial forms of content.

A La Carte: A plea to older women / Let someone serve you in suffering / Why AI writing can’t compete / Influencers / The hidden danger in online sermons / Discipling young people / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.
Bible biography Bonhoeffer books Christian living church current issues disability marriage parenting personal prayer sin suffering theology
Genesis 1 Genesis 3 Psalm 119 Matthew 18 John 3:16 John 10:10 Romans 1 Romans 8:28 Romans 12:2 Ephesians 5 Philippians 4:8 Colossians 3:16