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A La Carte (9/27)

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The Psychology of Resentment – Dane Ortlund looks at the psychology of resentment: “Here is what happens: instead of doing something externally to harm them you do something internally to harm them. You harbor bitterness. This is the psychology of resentment. You exercise emotional punishment toward them internally when actual punishment can’t be exercised externally. You set up a law-court in your heart since an actual law-court is unfeasible.”

The Blessing of Being Unpopular – Jesse has a good reflection on the disguised blessing of being unpopular saying, “We’re hardwired to crave feedback. We’re always looking to improve, to refine, to gauge our words and actions against the response of other human beings.”

The Most Zoomed – Here is the most zoomed-in photo in human history. “Scientists combined 10-years-worth of Hubble Space Telescope photos to create this resulting image that shows 5,500 individual galaxies, some of which are one ten-billionth the brightness of what our human eyes can see.”

Pastoral Failure – Thabiti on researching the moral failures of several prominent church pastors: “It was enlightening to observe some common dynamics and failures in the scandals. In most cases, men who should have been disqualified were back in their pulpits or establishing new ministries within months. In most cases, churches were seriously injured by the transgressions and hurt further by the inadequate efforts at redress. In all the cases, the offending pastor received more attention and support than the victims of his abuse or deceit.”

Remus Lupin, Werewolf – With a new J.K. Rowling novel released today, James Hamilton (associate professor of biblical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) writes about his love of the Harry Potter series.

The Mind Reader – You can’t watch this and miss the point (Note: One of the people blurts “Oh my God” at the end).

Where Christ is truly preached, there is the gospel; and where the gospel is truly believed, there is the church.

—Mark E. Ross

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    Weekend A La Carte (December 13)

    A La Carte: No one drifts into godlIness / Your subscriptions are holding you captive / Fighting sexual temptation / An orderly case for raising hands in worship / Kirk Cameron and remodeling hell / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Harvest House Publishers)

    This week, the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by Harvest House Publishers. Meet 52 Unsung Heroes Throughout history, the stories of brave Black believers and their remarkable contributions to the Christian faith and our nation have too often gone overlooked. Passionate writer and educator Jasmine L. Holmes brings 52 notable Black Christians’ stories to life…

  • Top Ten

    My Top Ten Books from 2025 (+ a Bonus)

    As another year draws to a close, I wanted to take some time to consider the books I read in 2025 and to assemble a list of my top picks. Apart from the first book, which I consider the best I read this year, the rest are in no particular order. In each case I’ve…

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    A La Carte (December 12)

    A La Carte: How to fight your phone idolatry / The weakness of God / Strong and fearless faith / Loving aging parents well / Changed by love / and more.

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    A La Carte (December 11)

    A La Carte: Gift giving in an age of abundance / Canada’s Bill C-9 / In memory of Jubilant Sykes / Motherhood is a refining fire / A gentle pastor isn’t a weak pastor / When God’s plans leave us distressed / and more.

  • Southern Africa

    A Trip to Southern Africa

    I don’t often write trip reports after I travel, except, of course, in the form of books and documentary projects like Epic and From the Rising of the Sun. Yet, I thought I would make a rare exception after returning from my recent journey to Southern Africa (and, strangely, Northern California). While I am accustomed…