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A La Carte (4/30)

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A Deeply Needy People – “Have you ever considered why there are so many diverse spiritual gifts in the body of Christ? … As I’ve reflected on this diversity of gifts, it comes to my mind how significant they are to the promise of Christ to build His church. His ongoing work extends through the ministry of His Spirit to and through His body in order to minister to the needs of the saints, strengthening them in faith. Simply put, the diversity of spiritual gifts reveals the incredible depth of our need.”

What If Life Was Complex? – I love it when Carl Trueman roasts us (all of us!) and he does it well in this thought experiment.

Playing It Safe? – I enjoyed reading Darryl’s reflections on a famous parable. “For the past couple of years, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus’ famous parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). It’s been one of those passages I can’t get out of my mind.”

The Tender King of Kings – “Sometimes in conversation we hear ourselves describe a person that we love, and as our unedited thoughts leave our lips we realize anew why it is that we love this person so.”

Surveillance after Boston – “We were living in an age of surveillance before the Boston Marathon bombing, but the event and its investigation produced calls for much greater monitoring of our cities and our lives.” Time will tell what laws and rules come about as a result of the bombing.

If People Don’t Remember Your Sermons – This is a bit of a cheeky look at preaching, but I think he’s on to something. He wants you to know that it doesn’t matter if people don’t remember your sermons.

The Alien World of the Bible – This short reflection is well worth reading. It takes issue with a statement like this: “The world of the Bible is not our world—its context, language, customs, knowledge, beliefs and social systems are far from those we experience in the twenty-first century. It is in many respects an alien world, where it is easy to become lost or confused.”

Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.

—C.S. Lewis

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    A La Carte (May 20)

    A La Carte: The foibles and fallibility of Christian leaders / Mental illness / Why didn’t Christ come sooner? / When it’s okay to die / Spiritual formation / and more.

  • Unlock Your Ministry Potential with Microcredentials

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  • Discernment

    What Does a Discerning Person Do?

    Some Christians seem to be specially gifted when it comes to spiritual discernment. Others take a special interest in discernment and expend the hard effort of growing in the discipline of it. But they may sometimes wonder: What should I do with this discernment?

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    A La Carte (May 19)

    A La Carte: Dangers of theological controversy / No confidence? No problem! / The goodness of gardening friends / Jeff the low stakes prophet / Hurting people / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Prayer

    The Reward They Longed for They Received

    Jesus, who knew what was in the heart of men, warned of the hypocrisy of those whose prayer life is only ever public. “When you pray,” he said, “you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen…

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    Weekend A La Carte (May 17)

    A La Carte: Generalizations are not stereotypes / Hospitality and reaching the dechurched / Essential lessons for pastors / The rise of Islam and the resilience of the church / Gossip and godly church / Fear takes you where grace has not yet gone / and more.