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A La Carte (10/26)

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Pastors Who Write Books – Here is some good advice from Barnabas Piper for pastors who want to write books of the sermon series. “When I receive proposals for books or book ideas from pastors I often get something like this as an accompanying comment: “I am the pastor of a X,000-person church, and based on their response to this message I think there is a large demand for this material.” This seems like a reasonable assertion. 80% of the congregation loved the messages, therefore a large percentage of like-minded Christians will also like the message. Unfortunately there is almost no correlation between what a pastor’s congregation thinks of his sermons and the audience size when that is turned into a book. “

Evangelistic Prayer Meeting – My friend Paul does evangelism on the streets of Toronto and writes about some of his experiences. Yesterday’s post models a way to engage in spiritual conversation.

The All-Digital Library – “Two years ago, Cushing Academy of Ashburnham, MA made a bold move when it got rid of Fisher-Watkins Library’s 40,000 books and replaced them with electronic sources. During the overhaul all resources were converted to digital formats, and the library’s Web site was redesigned to provide students and faculty with online resources and tools on a 24/7 basis.”

Hermeneutical Hall Passes – “Have you ever read the New Testament and wondered if the apostles would have passed a contemporary hermeneutics course? Sure, the apostles quoted and alluded to the Old Testament. But carefully considering the original context wasn’t very high on the apostolic priority list. Or was it?”

There Is No Sin That I Have Done – Here’s a new hymn that speaks of some great truths.

How Sermons Work – This commerical for David Murray’s new book is really, really clever.

The primary test of life is not service but love, both for man and God.

—William Still

  • ESV Expository Commentary

    The Best Complete Commentary Set for any Christian

    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.…

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    A La Carte (December 17)

    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 Collection cover image

    A La Carte (December 16)

    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.

  • Service

    You Are in the Circumstances in Which You Can Best Serve

    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.

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    A La Carte (December 15)

    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.

  • A Moving Picture of the Gospel

    A Moving Picture of the Gospel

    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…