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A La Carte (April 12)

Today’s Kindle deals include several titles from Christian Focus that are good at any time of year, but especially appropriate around Easter.

Benjamin Franklin’s Misplaced Hope of Resurrection

Vance Christie: “Franklin died doubting that Christ Jesus is God the Son, much less trusting in Jesus as his Savior from sin and the source of eternal life. Any hope that Franklin ever entertained of being resurrected ‘in a new and more elegant edition’ by God did not materialize.”

Missing the Maker in the Majesty

I, too, really enjoyed Planet Earth II, but made these same observations. “There’s almost religious reverence and wonder spilling from every scene, as if the producers themselves know that a greater purpose lies behind the beauty of the things they see—as if they know that all of this living magnificence is more than the result of time, chance, and natural selection, but have no One else to credit.”

Why Airlines Sell More Seats Than They Have (Video)

Now that overselling is in the news, Wendover Productions explains why this is standard practice among airlines. Also, overselling wasn’t actually a factor in United Airline’s recent problem, which should remind us how often the earliest news reports are inaccurate. (It was actually about needing to seat an extra flight crew on the flight.)

Praying for Families in Your Local Church

“The Lord calls all believers to pray at all times in the Spirit … and to be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Eph 6.18). What a privilege. But it may appear to be daunting and a bit impossible to pray for everyone in your local church. Where do you begin? How do you start? What could be a helpful guide to aid you in praying for your local church?” Here are some suggestions.

Dads, Be Tender With Your Children

“This was discipleship, in its most Christ-like form. My dad has always had a big, friendly, lovable personality and plenty of opinions of his own. But, in those moments, he was meek and mild, yet filled with godly wisdom. He discerned what I needed to hear and how I needed to hear it. He sought to know me, and he listened when I talked. He was tender with me. Never hard or harsh or impatient.”

How Google Book Search Got Lost

Google certainly doesn’t lack in vision, but they do sometimes bite off more than they can chew. Sadly, Google Books may be one of those things.

God’s Choice, Not Ours: The Joys of Unexpected Friendship

What a sweet article on friendship. “It didn’t take long to realize we had a special friendship as women but also as couples and families. Our families continued to grow through birth, adoption, and foster care. And somewhere along the way, as friends and families, we unofficially committed to being in each others’ lives for as long as the Lord allowed.”

Flashback: The Seed of Divorce

The world, the flesh, and the devil are all committed to the destruction of marriage, and each of those enemies brings its own evil seeds. The question is not whether those seeds are or will be present in a marriage, but what we will do with them.

It is never humble to be hesitant where God has been clear.

—Mark Dever

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    A La Carte (July 14)

    A La Carte: Distorted doctrine destroys lives / Making sense of bad things / Be the Jonathan / A bridegroom of blood / Administrative sludge / Musical elements / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Prayer

    Spread Too Thin

    With so much to do, we can easily begin to wonder whether prayer is an appropriate use of scarce time. Wouldn’t it be better to give my attention to something that would let me cross something off my to-do list?

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    Weekend A La Carte (July 12)

    A La Carte: Where art thou Rob Bell? / The case against in vitro fertilization / Praying and weeping for those suffering in Texas / Greet each other with a holy hug / The example of Jimmy Swaggart / and more.

  • Thriving Marriage

    Thriving Marriage

    I have often wondered about the best time to write a book about marriage. When a couple is young, there is so much about marriage they have not yet experienced. They can still impart wisdom and teach lessons, of course, but there is so much of marriage that remains unknown to them. Yet when a…

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    A La Carte (July 11)

    A La Carte: Falling out of repentance / Tattoos as confession / The Epstein List and secret sins / Teaching generosity / Lessons from a former youth pastor / Bedbugs in the bowels of the city.

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    A La Carte (July 10)

    A La Carte: Questions for a maturing marriage / The lesbian seagulls that weren’t / But mommy, why? / A time to be tired / The modern rise of Stoicism / and more.