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A La Carte (9/13)

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My children are going to French Immersion school, which means that they spend half a day learning in English and half a day learning in French. Generally we are really glad to have them learning a second language. Where I don’t like it so much is where they are now starting to realize that the French folk songs I sing them don’t actually make any sense. They are unmasking my ignorance (and, already, their accents are way better than mine ever was).

Five Tips for Raising Godly Children – “Many folks who have read J.C. Ryle over the years have thoroughly enjoyed his writings, especially his well known works like Holiness, Knots Untied and his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels commentary set. However, many folks may forget that John Charles Ryle was not only a prolific writer and vigorous preacher in England during the 1800′s, he was also a parent…to five children. [and widowed three times!]”

At the Bottom of Everything – Another good blog entry from 6YearMed (who must be getting near to the end of her 6 years). “Sometimes we rock babies to sleep. Sometimes we rock to quiet them. And sometimes we rock a baby to soothe ourselves.”

My Mom’s on Facebook? – Here’s the infographic du jour, this one showing how Facebook’s demographic is changing. One thing that surprised me: The average Facebook user is 38 years old and 61% of Facebook users are 35 or older.

The Social News Room – Another tech article, this one showing how the news has changed in a world of social media.

Lady Gaga and the Death of Sex – There are a couple of not-so-nice pictures in this article, so click the link with that warning in mind. This author shows how Lady Gaga, the ridiculously popular pop singer, seems to herald the death of the sexual revolution. “Furthermore, despite showing acres of pallid flesh in the fetish-bondage garb of urban prostitution, Gaga isn’t sexy at all – she’s like a gangly marionette or plasticised android. How could a figure so calculated and artificial, so clinical and strangely antiseptic, so stripped of genuine eroticism have become the icon of her generation? Can it be that Gaga represents the exhausted end of the sexual revolution? In Gaga’s manic miming of persona after persona, over-conceptualised and claustrophobic, we may have reached the limit of an era…”

A Campaign Speech – This is just too, too, I don’t even know what. It’s the latest and greatest viral video and is something you just need to experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMgyi57s-A4?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of the noonday sun, when a fish is happy on dry land then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven.

—J.C. Ryle

  • When Christians Disagree

    When Christians Disagree

    Wouldn’t it be nice if Christians only ever got along? Wouldn’t it be grand if all the discord we see in the world around us was completely foreign to the church? Wouldn’t it be heavenly if believers ever only experienced peace? I suppose it would be heavenly and, therefore, more than we can realistically hope…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (July 26)

    A La Carte: Therapy and bug men / How to have joy in hard times / Can a single pastor date in his church? / Life from barren ground / Shulamith Firestone was a prophet / Different ways of reading people we disagree with / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (July 25)

    A La Carte: What does it mean to die with dignity? / Did Paul endorse slavery? / Forgiveness in marriage / 5 ways to pursue contentment / The immense value of encouragement / and more.

  • Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult

    Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult

    Of all the Christian disciplines, it is my guess that meditation may be the least practiced—though I suppose fasting might have something to say about that. Most people diligently make time to read the Bible and pray. And yet, while most people have good intentions when it comes to meditation, it so often seems to…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 24)

    A La Carte: A mother to me, too / Never look your age? / Nine reminders for the struggle with body image / A ruler who trusts in Yahweh / No, I will not stop calling the church a family / Criminalizing sexual ethics / Bible journal sale / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 23)

    A La Carte: Connection and commitment / When your mind gets stuck / Prayer postures in the Bible / Fading with age / Does God care about how I work? / 7 essential things to know about God’s holiness / and more.