Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (April 23)

thursday

Today’s Kindle deals include a collection of 9 books by Wiersbe that, as a bundle, are selling for just a few dollars.

Westminster Books has a special on a book that deals with how to pray during a global crisis. As for my fellow Canadians, remember that Reformed Book Services has 20% off on all their stock.

(Yesterday on the blog: It’s Not Often in Life You Get a Do-Over (So Take the Do-Over!))

The Reason Zoom Calls Drain Your Energy

I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds Zoom calls especially draining. This could be a reason why: “When you’re on a video conference, you know everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure and feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is nerve-wracking and more stressful.”

Are We Living In Reality?

“In all these shifting emotions, we need to constantly pray that God would graciously pull us up from the muck of our own perceived reality and into the beauty of the actual reality that we live in. My perceived reality says I am stuck at home. My actual reality says I have been given more time to engage with the people in my life that I have been called to love the most: my family (Titus 2:4)…” (See also: The Extraordinary New Ordinary and A Plea To Parents And Coaches: Slow Down.)

10 Ministry Idols Being Exposed by COVID-19

“The pandemic is forcing churches to do ministry differently and find new ways to reach people. But it’s also teaching us about ourselves and exposing weaknesses in our ministries. We asked several church leaders, ‘What are some ministry idols you see being exposed by COVID-19?’ Here’s what they said…” (See also: Did Some of Us Miss the Sign? and Free Resource for COVID-19 Pastoral Calls.)

The Right Way to Play Monopoly (Video)

I quite enjoyed this video on the right way to play Monopoly. (Note: one bad word.)

An Open Letter to Those Who Divide over Doctrine

“No matter how serious your differences may be with a brother or sister in Christ, if Jesus has set his love on them, we cannot emotionally stiff-arm them. This does not mean we should ignore our disagreements, and in some circumstances there is appropriate space for accountability and confrontation. But even our disagreements and confrontations must be handled with love.”

An Ordinary Sunday?

Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown, CT continues to meet on Sundays and is carefully abiding by the state’s guidelines. Pastor Rob Morris describes what Sunday looks like.

Why We Don’t Evangelize

Pastor Chopo Mwanza offers some thoughts on why we often fail to evangelize.

Flashback: The Next Frontier in Pornography

Today, most people associate VR with gaming, but that is likely to change in the near future. Those who are working on the next generation of VR have far greater ambitions than providing mere entertainment.

The Lord is our portion, and this is incomparably more than if we had heaven and earth.

—David Clarkson

  • An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    An Ideal Resource For Your Family Devotions

    There is a lot I miss from the days when our children were young. High on the list is family devotions. Nick once described our family as having a “Spartan-like commitment” to them, though I remember as much failure as success and as many misses as hits. Still, there’s no doubt that over the 26…

  • A La Carte (June 12)

    The curious case of extra resurrections / Are kids too expensive? / Why hot takes are the enemy of conviction / Piper on preaching outrage / A daily rhythm of prayer / Forgetting and pursuing / A La Quiz / The funnies / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 11)

    We lost the baby / The Bible is cessationist (and wondrous!) / Thinking about Eastern Orthodoxy: a primer for evangelicals / Virtue signalling in the church / What is God’s providence? / Restlessness / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Conform

    You Can Conform to Christ Even if You Don’t Conform to Me

    One of the aspects of the Christian faith that I find particularly perplexing is the freedom God gives his people to obey him in different or even opposite ways, so that one person’s obedience is another person’s disobedience. Even as two people take the same action, one might be obeying him and the other disobeying…

  • A La Carte (June 10)

    Does prayer make a difference? / Portrait of an abortionist / Pushing back against the black tax / Bring your whole self to work / Blessed are the weak / When service isn’t a transaction / A pastoral analogy / Bill C-9 will soon be law in Canada / and more.

  • A La Carte (June 9)

    Thawed embryos, reproductive rights, and the grey marshlands of ethical ennui / 14 World Cup stars who follow Jesus / The God of small churches / How a critical theorist influenced the sexualization of everything / When culture trumps strategy / Fasting and feasting / Kindle deals / and more.