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A La Carte (1/30)

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Last week I went to the eye doctor and then bought a new pair of glasses. Suddenly I can see things. And now I’m asking myself why exactly it was that I allowed myself to see poorly for the last 2 years. Or as comedian Brian Regan puts it, “How can instantly improved vision NOT be at the top of your to-do list?”

Art, Nakedness and Redemption – This is a very good article written by William VanDoodewaard and taking issue with Christians who feel that nudity in art is permissible and/or praiseworthy.

The Last Temptation of Ted – GQ has a long story about Ted Haggard. It’s a sad story of a man who just refuses to acknolwedge that he is unsuited for ministry and who is sliding further into the mess he has created. Note: the story gets a little bit graphic at times.

Egypt Explodes – Gene Veith asks a few useful questions about the current situation in Egypt.

Lincoln’s Other Mother – “Stepmother” can be a fraught phrase in the telling of childhood stories — one thinks of Cinderella and the well-named Brothers Grimm — yet it was a very good day for Lincoln when she came into his life. (HT:TW)

The Sexualization of Youth – This article from the Telegraph has some very insightful things to say about the increased sexualization of children. “So far the debate over the sexualisation of children has centred primarily on quantitative questions. Are our young people being exposed to too much sex? Does this exposure happen at too young of an age? … What I find interesting, however, is that by framing the debate solely in terms of the above questions, the discussion has excluded crucial qualitative distinctions we need to be making.”

Mass Defection – This seems like an inevitable outcome of the Church of England’s moral decline: “Hundreds of disillusioned Anglicans were preparing Sunday to defect from the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church in time for Lent, Sky News reported.”

Deepak Chopra Gets Owned – One little comment exposes his folly.

I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord’s people were divided.

—D.L. Moody

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    A La Carte (April 23)

    A La Carte: Climate anxiety paralyzes, gospel hope propels / Living what God has written / How should I engage my rebellious child? / Satan hates your pastor / How to navigate our spiritual highs / The art of extemporaneous preaching / and more.

  • The Path to Contentment

    The Path to Contentment

    I wonder if you have ever considered that the solution to discontentment almost always seems to be more. If I only had more money I would be content. If I only had more followers, more possessions, more beauty, then at last I would consider myself successful. If only my house was bigger, my influence wider,…

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    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Why my shepherd carries a rod / When Mandisa forgave Simon Cowell / An open mind is like an open mouth / Marriage: the half-time report / The church should mind its spiritual business / Kindle deals / and more.

  • It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    It Begins and Ends with Speaking

    Part of the joy of reading biography is having the opportunity to learn about a person who lived before us. An exceptional biography makes us feel as if we have actually come to know its subject, so that we rejoice in that person’s triumphs, grieve over his failures, and weep at his death.

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 20)

    A La Carte: Living counterculturally during election season / Borrowing a death / The many ministries of godly women / When we lose loved ones and have regrets / Ethnicity and race and the colorblindness question / The case for children’s worship services / and more.

  • The Anxious Generation

    The Great Rewiring of Childhood

    I know I’m getting old and all that, and I’m aware this means that I’ll be tempted to look unfavorably at people who are younger than myself. I know I’ll be tempted to consider what people were like when I was young and to stand in judgment of what people are like today. Yet even…