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A La Carte (9/17)

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Too Tough on the Guys Who Are Trying – I appreciate Josh Harris’ mea culpa here. “I got some great feedback from a young man in our church after two of my recent sermons from Matthew 5, both of which touched on aspects of marriage (the messages were “Jesus on Lust” and “Don’t Break Your Marriage or Your Word.”) In his mid-twenties, he kindly expressed appreciation for both messages and then went on to voice concern about how I challenged single men…”

Telling a Spouse About Sexual Sin – This is an important and very real issue for many couples–what should you tell your spouse about your sexual sin? There are some brief thoughts here with more to come.

Crutch WordsThe Atlantic has an article about “crutch words” like “if you will” and “and so on and so forth.” They’re all bad, apparently.

Amazing Facts – You’ll need to screen out some of the evolutionary timelines here, but the facts are plenty impressive.

Preach the Word – Here are some truths about preaching that you won’t be taught in seminary. Kind of. “In this blog post, I’d like to share a little of what I’ve learned along the way. But first, I want to provide a caveat to my title. The caveat is that you have heard most of what you’ll read below, but the real issue is have you paid attention to what you’ve heard?”

Americans Are Confused – “A new study finds that the typical American believes the United States is far more religiously diverse than it actually is, overestimating the number of Mormons and Muslims and underestimating the number of Protestants.”

Next to faith this is the highest art–to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.

—Martin Luther

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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…