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A La Carte (3/10)

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Trolololo – You’ve probably seen that bizarre and yet strangely enchanting viral video known as “Trolololo.” Here’s some information about the singer, the song and the style. “The song he is interpreting, ‘I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home,’ is an Ostrovskii composition, and it is meant to be sung in the vokaliz style, that is to say sung, but without words. I have seen a number of comments online, ever since a flurry of interest in Hill began just a few days ago, to the effect that this routine must have been meant as a critique of Soviet censorship, but in fact vokaliz was a well established genre, one that seems close in certain respects to pantomime.”

The Pastor as Evangelist – Earlier this week Joe Boot spoke at Toronto Pastors Fellowship on the subject of the pastor as evangelist. Though I haven’t yet had time to listen to his talk, I’ve heard great things about it. It’s available in MP3 and in PDF if you prefer to read it.

Biblical City’s Location Discovered – “Scientists think they’ve finally found the real location of a city called Neta’im mentioned in the Bible. Based on its proximity to another biblical town, and archaeological ruins dating from the time of the biblical King David’s rule, researchers think Neta’im might have been located at the modern site called Khirbet Qeiyafa, in Israel.”

What Happens to Infants Who Die? – John Piper offers his take on this question, a take that seems to be pretty much the default Reformed position today.


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    The Collected Best Books of 2025

    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 collect all of the lists written by sites or…

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    A La Carte (December 22)

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    Our Father in Heaven, we are gathered here this morning like children gathered before the feet of their father. We want to begin this new day with you. We want to begin this new week with you. Before we do anything, before we go anywhere, before we engage in work, school, or even play, we…

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    Weekend A La Carte (December 20)

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  • Addiction

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    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…