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A La Carte (April 22)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include several excellent titles like Andrew Wilson’s Remaking the World, Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ, and the updated edition of Kent Hughes’ Disciplines of a Godly Man.

(Yesterday on the blog: It Begins and Ends with Speaking)

Why My Shepherd Carries a Rod

David Gibson explains why his shepherd, who I trust is also your shepherd, carries a rod. There’s comfort in the metaphor!

When Mandisa Forgave Simon Cowell

I am not really familiar with the Christian musician Mandisa (who recently passed away), but this tribute focuses on a moment of forgiveness.

An Open Mind is Like an Open Mouth

“I hear people speak of having an open mind like it is inherently virtuous to have it perpetually open. But what is the point of an open mind if it never closes on truth?” It’s a valid question, that.

Have you heard of 21Five, Canada’s newest Christian bookstore?

The new Canadian source for gospel-centred books and products, 21Five offers a unique collection of relevant and God-glorifying resources. Shop online at 21Five.ca or in person at Redeemer University in Ancaster (Hamilton), Ontario. (Sponsored)

Marriage: The Half Time Report

Stephen McAlpine writes a kind of “half-time report” on marriage. The occasion is that he has now spent exactly half of his life as a married man. “I am 56 years of age. Single for 28 years. Married to Jill for 28 years.” There are some helpful reflections here.

Fire and Flour at 02:00

Here’s one of those “someone must have been praying” moments we all have now and again in life! “Someone must have been praying for us. It was 2 am and I was strangely and suddenly wide awake. The house was silent and cold, so I rolled over to go back to sleep.”

The Church Should Mind Its Spiritual Business

“The task of the church as such is not to transform the world at large or any society in it. The task of the church is to transform lives: to proclaim the gospel as the person and work of Christ applied by the power of the Holy Spirit in the means of grace so that men and women come to Christ by faith and are justified, adopted, and sanctified—all a gift of God’s grace. Such changed lives typically affect the lives of others in the various societies in which the saints find themselves.”

Flashback: We Are All Theologians

…we can’t truly know God as he is or live for God as he desires as long as we reject or downplay theology.

Your kids will pick up your walk more than your talk. They will follow the example of a lifetime more than the exhortation you give them when you drop them off at college. Are your kids growing up with the habit of regular church attendance?

—Kevin DeYoung

  • Almost Saved

    To Be Almost Saved Is To Be Completely Lost

    Along the coast of New York is a little town called East Hampton. And I recently read that there is a cemetery in East Hampton where you can find 12 identical graves that have been laid side by side. There’s a story behind them, of course. All the way back in the 1800s, there was…

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    A La Carte (August 18)

    A La Carte: 6 ways to lead better Bible studies / When you want to give up / Everyone has a calling / Easing John Mark Comer’s fears / See and support foster families / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Shoots Himself

    Dad, Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot

    Part of what we must model to our children is the centrality of the local church in the life and faith of the Christian. We must model what it is to do good to others, to persevere in local church fellowship, to respect church leadership, to participate in the means of grace.

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    Weekend A La Carte (August 16)

    A La Carte: Do we need another Pentecost? / The church will not be consulted / Redeeming the time / Why I don’t use “Biblical Patriarchy” / The scandal of the Evangelical heart / and more.

  • Free Stuff Saturday (Focus on the Family)

    This week, the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by Focus on the Family. What is The Focused Pastor Couples Conference? Hosted by Focus on the Family, the Focused Pastor Couples Conference is a space created just for pastors and their spouses—a place to step away from the demands of ministry and be reminded that…

  • Catholicism

    Should You Share the Gospel with Your Catholic Friends?

    It is a question that seems to arise time and again and year after year: How should Protestants relate to Roman Catholics? Are Catholics faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord? Are they misguided members of an alternative denomination? Are they followers of an entirely different faith that preaches an entirely different gospel? How should…