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A La Carte (9/27)

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18 People in My Truck – I love reading dispatches from the mission front.

Losing Is Good For You – “As children return to school this fall and sign up for a new year’s worth of extracurricular activities, parents should keep one question in mind. Whether your kid loves Little League or gymnastics, ask the program organizers this: ‘Which kids get awards?’ If the answer is, ‘Everybody gets a trophy,’ find another program.”

The Danger of Forgiving Yourself – “One of the more interesting teachings which has crept into the Christian world view is the idea of self-forgiveness. ‘You just need to forgive yourself’ is one of the standard ways this secular doctrine is put forth. I’m not exactly sure how it became such a supported teaching in the mainstream Christian consciousness, though I do have a pretty good idea of some of its secular counterparts.”

Oprah and Bell – “Eckhart Tolle. Rhonda Byrne. Elizabeth Gilbert. …Rob Bell? Yes, the moment has arrived. … Oprah has added Rob Bell to her list of must-read spiritual gurus.”

Behind the Blog – I enjoyed doing a brief interview with John. You can read it here, if you’re interested.

Christians and Social Media – Here are fifteen questions to ask about your use of social media.

We rob the gospel of its power if we leave out its threatenings of punishment.

—C.H. Spurgeon

  • 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…

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    A La Carte (December 10)

    A La Carte: Top 10 theology stories of 2025 / Mama, you don’t have to save Christmas / Giving up all your Sundays to advent / An empty chair at Christmas / Pray for the church in Rwanda / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (December 9)

    A La Carte: Reforming generosity / Let the young man come to church / Your wife is beauty / Combating imposter syndrome / Be known, not impressive / Dan McClellan / and more.

  • AI Slop

    The Rise of AI Book Slop

    We often hear these days of “AI slop,” a term that’s used to refer to the massive amounts of poor-quality AI-created material that is churned out and unceremoniously dumped onto the internet. This was once primarily artistless artwork and authorless articles, but has now advanced to much bigger and more substantial forms of content.

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    A La Carte (December 8)

    A La Carte: A plea to older women / Let someone serve you in suffering / Why AI writing can’t compete / Influencers / The hidden danger in online sermons / Discipling young people / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.

  • Hymns

    Pitch Perfect and Tone Deaf

    God commands us to sing. Yet while some of God’s people are gifted singers, the plain fact is that others are not. In any congregation, it’s likely that some have near-perfect pitch while others are functionally tone-deaf. Those who struggle to sing may be self-conscious, tempted to stay quiet or to do no more than…