A La Carte (October 27)

Logos 9 was released yesterday. If you’re thinking about upgrading, you can get 15% off from this page. Today’s Kindle deals include quite a good number of titles. My latest book Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History is there today along with the forthcoming Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World for which I wrote a foreword. Assurance in the Age of Cancel Culture Lauren Graham writes about fears introduced by cancel culture. “If I am perfectly honest, …

The Influenced Will Be Like the Influencer

We are easily influenced. It is a feature of humanity (and not a bug) that we learn best by example, by imitation. We are natural imitators and thrive on a combination of formal instruction and observable example. It is little wonder then that we cast about for teachers, for mentors, for people who can influence us, people we can imitate. All the while we know that we must find truthful and trustworthy influencers. With this in mind, we’d do well …

A La Carte (October 26)

There’s a nice little list of Kindle deals to start the week! 3 Causes for Political Tension between Christians “What are some disagreements that affect your heart’s posture or that hinder fellowship with another person in your church? Maybe you feel scorn. Maybe you are angry that they support a cause that you are convinced is unjust. You might even find yourself questioning their profession of faith: ‘How can they be Christians and support that?!’” Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli …

A Mighty and Glorious Revival of Religion

It was in the darkest of days that God spoke the most glorious of words: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44). Here Martyn Lloyd-Jones comments on the encouragement this should bring us today: King Nebuchadnezzar has had that dream which Daniel alone …

Weekend A La Carte (October 24)

My thanks goes to Thomas Nelson for sponsoring the blog this week with news of their sale on all sorts of great material by John MacArthur. You can find out more here. Yesterday I shared a review of Ligonier’s new A Field Guide on False Teaching. As it happens, it’s on sale now, in single copies and multiples, at Westminster Books. Today’s Kindle deals include some classics, a study Bible, and more. Principles for Flourishing Ben Franks has shared an …

Free Stuff Fridays (RHB Publications)

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by RHB Publications. Everyone who enters will get a free e-book copy of Geoff Thomas’s new evangelistic booklet, You Could Have it All.  In addition, five of you – chosen at random* – will each receive a copy of all of the following books. Puritan Reformed Theology by Joel R. Beeke The Puritans were thoughtful, precise, and wrote deep truths for ordinary people. “Professor Beeke handles a wide variety of subjects and turns …

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Oct 26

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Oct 23

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Oct 22

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Oct 20

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A Field Guide on False Teaching

Christians have always had to contend with false teaching and competing faiths. But what surely makes the current age unique is the sheer number and sheer diversity we may encounter in any given place. From my context in ultra-multicultural Toronto, it is not unusual to find myself in a setting where there are adherents of 5 or 10 different religions. I can take a short drive and spot places of worship that represent every type of divergence from the Christian …

A La Carte (October 23)

There a few book deals today for those who are building their Kindle libraries. Safe With Me I don’t really know how to describe or summarize this one, but do recommend you read it! A Wild Harvest “On a bleak January day in 1951 our family disembarked from the boat that had brought us back to a land of religious freedom, from a land where the newly formed People’s Republic of China had started a purge to eradicate faith in …

A La Carte (October 22)

I mentioned the other day that when conferences go online, so too do their bookstores (and the deals they offer). So here’s the bookstore for the 2020 WTS Conference on Preaching. There are some great deals to be had. (Plus, don’t forget these 12 titles by MacArthur, on sale in both physical and electronic formats.) (Yesterday on the blog: Random, Granular Tips for Christian Bloggers) Should I Preach Without Notes? Kevin DeYoung offers some level-headed thoughts on preaching with or …

Random, Granular Tips for Christian Bloggers

I quite often have people get in touch to ask me for tips on blogging. (No, blogs aren’t dead and yes, there is still a place for blogs in 2020. To that end, the forthcoming book Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World is worthy of a pre-order.) Earlier this year I offered some tips on starting out in blogging and today want to follow up with a few random tips for Christian bloggers. Most of these tips are …

A La Carte (October 21)

If you’re interested in the new Unfolding Grace ESV and/or the accompanying devotional, they’re on sale this week at Westminster Books. There’s a good little list of Kindle deals to look at today. The World’s Easiest Theological Question “For those who love to talk about theology, a good head-scratching question can really be fun. It allows us to stay up late in deep conversations with our friends over the mysteries of God and his Word.” But some theological questions are …

A La Carte (October 20)

Today is release day for Jared Wilson’s new novel Echo Island. It’s technically for young adults, but this not-so-young-adult enjoyed it plenty. Today’s Kindle deals include a number of solid picks. (Yesterday on the blog: Why We Need a Better Definition of “Conspiracy Theory”) Is It Hypocrisy to Ask Locals to Be Self-Supporting? I wonder if you’ve thought about this tension in foreign missions: Missionaries raise support to go overseas, then help locals begin self-supporting ministries. This article explains why …

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Book Reviews

A Field Guide on False Teaching

A Field Guide on False Teaching

Ligonier Ministries

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12 Classics from John MacArthur

This week the blog is sponsored by Thomas Nelson so they can tell you about an amazing sale on resources from John MacArthur. Known for his faithfulness to scripture, John MacArthur has become one of the leading Bible expositors of our time. He has written handfuls of books to help readers gain clarity and understanding of the Bible and grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve compiled a list of twelve classics that would be great additions to your …

Why We Need a Better Definition of “Conspiracy Theory”

Irecently pointed out that new conspiracy theories tend to arise around shifts in power and that they often originate from those who have lost power or seen their power threatened. As you worked your way through that article, I wonder if you noticed that I didn’t define “conspiracy theory,” something that, in retrospect, may have been unwise. Nevertheless, I deliberately left it undefined because I wanted to demonstrate that we all have a working definition of the term. Perhaps it …

A La Carte (October 19)

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to begin another week! Here are a few articles that may make for interesting reading… (Yesterday on the blog: The Word You Can Use Once a Year (and No More)) Men, Be the Chief Repenters in Your Homes What’s leadership in the home about? For one thing, it’s about leading in repentance. “Break the Teeth in Their Mouths, O God” This is quite a sobering biographical article about the imprecatory psalms. …

The Word You Can Use Once a Year (and No More)

I recently discovered Readwise, an app that has a neat feature—it sends a daily email with a randomized selection of highlights from books in my Kindle library. This has proven an interesting way to encounter information I have read but long-since forgotten. A few days ago Readwise surfaced a quote from a book I read years ago, Derek Thomas’s How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home. And, wouldn’t you know it, it was just the quote I needed …

Weekend A La Carte (October 17)

My gratitude goes to Reformation Heritage Books for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to learned about the new book Puritan Reformed Theology (which is currently discounted). Also, here’s your regular reminder of my SquareQuotes site which is updated weekly and contains all kinds of great quote graphics. Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good collection of classics and newer works. For All My Fellow Phonies “I think for most of my Christian life I have felt like an …

Are You Prepared For a New Batch of Conspiracy Theories?

We are just weeks away from another contentious American election, which means we are just weeks away from roughly half of the American population savoring a great victory and the other half suffering a great loss. This being the case, we are, in all likelihood, just weeks away from the birth of new conspiracy theories. Why? Because conspiracy theories are for losers. I suppose I’d better explain that. I’ll do so by way of a few building blocks. First, conspiracy …

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My Books

Do More Better Cover

Do More Better

by Tim Challies

I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today’s digital world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God. Read More