Welcome to today’s A La Carte, where I help you break free from the algorithm by carefully curating news, articles, and other pieces of information that are likely to be of interest to people just like you.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include some good picks by a few different publishers. There’s always something interesting to consider!
Recommended Reading
Brothers, Aspire to Be Lay Elders. Writing for 9Marks, “Scott Corbin encourages young men to aspire to be lay elders rather than viewing the role as unimportant because it is unpaid or not an ‘official’ staff position. For those who are biblically qualified for the role, serving as an elder is a great blessing to the church and a worthwhile use of your time and gifts for the sake of Christ’s kingdom.”
A Mundane Life Is a Courageous Life. Alan Noble writes about the virtue of courage. “When we think about courageous people, we typically imagine first responders, soldiers, or people who shield children from the bullets of mass shooters. And of course, they are courageous. It takes great courage to risk your life for the sake of another. But there are other kinds of courage.” (This article correlates well with his book To Live Well, which is due for release next week.)
What Did I Know of Shadows? I enjoyed this original poem about the good days and the hard days, and the God who cares for us through them all.
Aim High. Repent Often. Trevin writes about those who are so concerned with displaying hypocrisy in their lives that they essentially give up. “We need to distinguish between the kind of hypocrisy Jesus excoriates and the stumbling attempts of sincere believers to live according to his commands. The world often conflates the two; the church should not.”
The Problem With Deaconism. John Carpenter explains the problems with a form of church government you’ve never heard of, but have definitely seen at one time or another. “The Lord Jesus and his apostles didn’t give us bylaws for a polity but principles that a good polity should fulfill, especially being able to follow Jesus’ instructions about church discipline. Any good polity should be able to apply Jesus’ steps to any member of the church, including those at the very top. If a polity has a strip-mall ‘apostle’ who cannot be held accountable, it’s defective.”
What Are You Angry About Today? I appreciate Chris Martin asking the question: What are you angry about today? “Are you angry about something the President of the United States posted on social media? Are you angry at some kind of unjust practice you’ve observed in the human resources department in your company? Are you angry at the lengths to which people will go to deny the sanctity of unborn life?”
Currently
- Enjoying. I didn’t have my first cup of herbal tea until I was in my 40s, but now I can’t imagine life without it. I have especially come to enjoy Tazo. I have a Refresh Mint every morning and Wild Sweet Orange most afternoons. I keep Chamomile on hand, too, for when nothing else will do.
- Trialing. I have been trying some alternate web browsers and really enjoying the features, customizability, and privacy features of Vivaldi. If it has a weakness, it may actually be a strength, depending on how you see it: It offers no deep integration with AI. I’m not positive that I will stick with it, but so far I’m really enjoying it.
- Reading. The Undiscovered Country by Paul Andrew Hutton, a history of the American West.
Quote
I found this a challenging quote from Maltbie Davenport Babcock:
Many men fail to realize that joy is distinctly moral. It is a fruit of the spiritual life. We have no more right to pray for joy, if we are not doing the things that Jesus said would bring it, than we would have to ask interest in a savings bank in which we had never deposited money. Joy does not happen. It is a flower that springs from roots. It is the inevitable result of certain lines followed and laws obeyed, and so a matter of character. Therefore, we cannot say that joy is like a fine complexion, a distinct addition to the charm of the face, which yet would be structurally perfect without this charm. Joy is a feature, and the face that does not have it is disfigured. The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God, and a disgrace to itself.
Flashback
The Path to Contentment. The only “more” you need is more of God’s Spirit, God’s values, God’s character. It’s sanctification you lack, not success. It’s holiness that stands between you and contentment, not accomplishment.
Why did Jesus have to die in order to forgive us? There was a debt to be paid—God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born—God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering.
—Timothy Keller
