May you know the Lord’s richest blessings as you send off one year and welcome in another. For those who, like me, plan to read the Bible in 2023 using the 5-Day Reading Plan, it’s now available for free download. There are a few new Kindle deals to look at today. An Anchor for Our…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), who also sponsored the blog this week with the article “Support Indigenous Publishing with TMAI.” They are giving away the 42-volume Essential MacArthur Library set. The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) is currently training local pastors in 18 schools around the world. The…
Good morning. Grace and peace to you today. There have been a few Kindle deals shared this week. You can browse and see them if you like. We’ll hope for more next week! New Beginnings: On God’s Mercy and Grace “The beginning of a new school year was always one of my favorite times. There…
Grace and peace to you today. Stooping To Filthy Feet What a thought. “The man on his knees, rinsing sweat from Peter’s athlete’s foot and getting between Judas’s toes to wipe away the dung was our Creator, who is before all things and in him all things hold together; the hands that washed those verrucae…
May the Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day. When the City of Man Creaks I think many of us are noticing the straining and breaking down of systems and wondering what it means. “Progress in the systems we rely on for life necessities or conveniences has been assumed. The pandemic…
Just a reminder that due to the holidays I’ll be publishing A La Carte through this week, but not much else. A more normal schedule will resume next week. (Yesterday on the blog: My Bible-Reading Recommendation for 2023) Annual Planning with the Ten Commandments So, what if you began your annual planning with the Ten…
This week’s post is sponsored by The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), a global network of pastoral training centers that specialize in expository preaching. I love to recommend good and God-honoring books. And with so many insightful resources to point to and so many publishers to print them for us, I think it’s good to reflect…
I trust you enjoyed—as we did—a restful, worshipful, enjoyable Christmas Day. Because this is the week when few people visit blogs, I’ll be posting only A La Carte between now and Saturday. A more normal schedule will resume on January 2. Today’s Kindle deals include a nice little selection of books from Crossway. (Yesterday on…
In my way of thinking, there are two approaches to daily Bible-reading: reading for intimacy or reading for familiarity. Intimacy with the Bible comes by slow, meditative reading that focuses on small portions—deep study of books, chapters, and verses. Familiarity with the Bible comes through faster reading of larger portions—the entire sweep of the biblical…
Merry Christmas, my friends. May this day bring you heartfelt worship and tender joys. On this day, I am pondering a lovely quote I found in one of De Witt Talmage’s sermons—a quote that calls us to not only be joyful at Christmas, but to see in Christmas proof that Christianity is a joyful faith.…
May the Lord bless you as you worship him this weekend and as you remember the miraculous birth of our Savior. (Yesterday on the blog: My Favorite New Songs of 2022) The Thrilling Reversal of Christmas Jim McCarthy explains that “thrilling reversal is what Christmas is all about. God insists on showcasing his power through…
I have eclectic tastes in music and will gladly listen to a host of different genres. Apple Music tells me that I listened to an absurd amount of music this year by a vast number of artists. But as I went through them and thought about the ones that resonated most, I narrowed it down…
Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Christmas Is a Happy Day for Broken Hearts I was asked to write an article for Christianity Today that would speak to those who are grieving at Christmas. “What we wouldn’t give to worship together as a whole family, intact and reunited. What we wouldn’t give to spend…
May the Lord be with you and bless you today. I’ve added a collection of Kindle deals that includes some general market historical titles—perhaps a good option for some holiday reading. (Yesterday on the blog: The Collected Best Books of 2022) Christmas Music: A Witness For Us or Against Us This is a thought-provoking reflection…
I probably don’t need to tell you how much I love books in general, and Christian books in particular. One of my favorite times to be a reader is in mid-December when people begin to share their picks for the top books of the year. I usually collect a good number of these lists and…
Crossway has begun to publish The Complete Works of John Owen and Westminster Books has the first volume (of 40!) on sale now. There are at least a couple of Kindle deals to look at. What Your Nativity Really Means Pierce Taylor Hibbs considers “our little, neat, illuminated manger scenes. Such a precious thing: the…
Blessings to you today, my friends. (Yesterday on the blog: Christmas Hope for the Broken-Hearted) The Sunset, the Symphony, and the Gift Darla poignantly describes the discovery, misuse, and (eventually) proper use of a wonderful gift. “I was eight or nine when I received the gift and discovered that I could make music. I wasn’t…
The tree is trimmed and decorated and glowing with lights. The gifts are wrapped and tied with bows and arranged carefully beneath. The stockings are hung by the fire and bulging with trinkets and surprises and sweet delicacies. The table is set and waiting for a great feast to be laid out upon it. Christmas…
Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection (as is the case with most Mondays). (Yesterday on the blog: To Do His Will) Melchizedek’s Loins This is an enjoyable reflection on a fascinating biblical character. He Gives What He Demands Glenna Marshall spent some time in Proverbs this year…
We are not naturally inclined to do the will of God. To the contrary, until God intervenes, we take joy in contradicting and disobeying him. But once God saves us we come to understand the pleasure of carrying out his commands and submitting ourselves to his will. And that’s what F.B. Meyer reflects on in…